• immagine_2.jpeg

    Borexino Solar Neutrino Detector

    The Borexino prototype detector (CTF) shown here, a 4-ton spherical scintillator target surrounded by ultra-pure water and 100 photomultiplier tubes, operated between 1994 and 2003. The tubes detect flashes of light from ionizing radiation (including neutrinos) occurring in the scintillating volume. A thin nylon "shroud" prevents radioactive contamination from entering the center-most volume of the detector. The main Borexino experiment has been taking data since 2007.

    Credit: Borexino Collaboration

  • g-2 magnet

    A Magnet Goes to Fermilab.

    The 50-foot diameter magnet racetrack as it started its 3200-mile journey from Brookhaven New York to Fermilab in Illinois, where it was eventually installed in the Muon g-2 experiment. A UMass team led by Prof. David Kawall has taken on the challenging responsibility of measuring and calibrating the magnetic field for the experiment. Read more at FNAL news and APS news. (Photo credit: Fermilab)

  • g-2 at FNAL

    Muon g-2 Anomaly

    The Muon g-2 experiment in its home at Fermilab, run by a collaboration of 7 countries and 35 institutions, including UMass. The experiment recently published the most precise measurement to date of the muon magnetic moment. The result hints at a discrepancy with the Standard Model of particle physics. Find out more more at UMass News, YouTube, and the New York Times. (Photo credit: Fermilab)

  • Sanford Experimental Hall

    Sanford Underground Laboratory

    An experiment hall nearly one mile underground at Sanford Underground Laboratory, being refurbished for the LUX and LZ experiments. Great depths are required to reduce background radiation from cosmic rays and make sensitive neutrino and dark matter searches possible.

  • Atlas cutaway

    A Slice of Atlas Detector

    A cut-away view of the ATLAS detector.  The magnetic toroid for the muon system, which is a focus of the UMass Atlas team, is displayed in gray.

Department of Physics at UMass Amherst

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Department News

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  • student-awards-2023

    Student Awards 2023

    The 2023 annual Physics Department awards were presented to graduate and undergraduate students at a luncheon on May 18th 2023 to recognize their achievements in academics, research, teaching and outreach.
  • CNS-awards-2023

    College awards for physics faculty

    Physics faculty Brokk Toggerson, Shubha Tewari and Stéphane Willocq were recognized with College of Natural Science Outstanding Achievement awards
  • ajit-kumar-image

    Ajit Kumar recognized with campus teaching award

    Physics graduate student Ajit Kumar was recognized with a Distinguished Teaching Award, the most prestigious student-initiated award on campus. Congratulations, Ajit!
  • mort-sternheim-image

    In memoriam: Morton Sternheim

    Prof. Morton Sternheim, emeritus physics faculty colleague and founding director of the STEM Education Institute passed away on March 30, 2023
  • bob-hallock-image

    Supertransport 2023

    The department is organizing a scientific conference, Supertransport 2023 to recognize Bob Hallock's many contributions to the field of quantum fluids over his faculty career spanning over fifty years at UMass.
  • catherine-mccarthy-image

    Catherine McCarthy receives NSF GRFP award

    First year graduate student Catherine McCarthy was awarded a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.  Congratulations, Catherine!

Physics Spotlight

Congratulations to Physics Grad Student Utkarsh Agrawal on his Defense and KITP, Santa Barbara Postdoctoral Fellowship!

This spotlight highlights one of our recent Physics graduate students, Ph.D. recipient Utkarsh Agrawal. He was chosen to not only introduce him to the larger physics community, but also to showcase his achievement on becoming a KITP, Santa Barbara postdoctoral fellowship recruit. Congratulations Utkarsh on your recent defense here at UMass and on your new position!

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Physics Spotlight

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